DAV Class 6 SST Chapter 9 Question Answer Life of Early Man

Looking for the most authentic, 100% textbook-grounded DAV Class 6 Social Science Chapter 9 Solutions: Life of Early Man? Based strictly on the prescribed DAV CMC textbook We and Our World, this comprehensive master guide provides complete answers for Section A (Tick the correct option with detailed reasons), Section B (Fill in the blanks), Section C (Chronological Ordering of Early Man Developments), Section D (Short Answer Questions), Section E (Detailed Long Answer Questions with structural headings), Value-Based Questions (VBQ), HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skills), multi-column comparison tables (Palaeolithic vs Mesolithic vs Neolithic Age), and authentic DAV Board Examination Previous Years’ Questions (2018-2024) with official marking schemes.

Section A: Tick (✓) the Correct Option

1. Which continent is believed to be the origin of mankind?
(a) Asia
(b) Africa
(c) Europe
(d) Australia
Answer: (b) Africa
Detailed Justification: Fossil evidence discovered by paleoanthropologists (such as the hominid fossils in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa) confirms that the earliest human ancestors (hominids) evolved on the African continent before migrating to Europe and Asia.

2. When did man become a skilled tool-maker?
(a) Palaeolithic Age
(b) Mesolithic Age
(c) Neolithic Age
(d) Metal Age
Answer: (c) Neolithic Age
Detailed Justification: In the Neolithic Age (New Stone Age), humans mastered the art of grinding, shaping, and polishing stones to create sharp, smooth, specialized implements (axes, adzes, chisels, sickles, and mortars) fitted with wooden or bone handles.

3. The tools of Palaeolithic man were made up of:
(a) Iron
(b) Bronze
(c) Stone
(d) Copper
Answer: (c) Stone
Detailed Justification: Early humans in the Old Stone Age (Palaeolithic period) had not discovered metals. They fashioned crude, unpolished stone implements predominantly from hard quartzite flint pebbles.

4. The first animal domesticated by man was:
(a) Cow
(b) Horse
(c) Dog
(d) Goat
Answer: (c) Dog
Detailed Justification: The dog was the very first animal domesticated by humans during the transition to the Mesolithic period, assisting early hunters in tracking wild game and guarding family camps against predators.

5. Early man travelled from place to place in search of:
(a) Gold
(b) Food
(c) Clothes
(d) Knowledge
Answer: (b) Food
Detailed Justification: Early humans led a nomadic hunter-gatherer existence. When edible fruits, roots, and game animals grew scarce in one locality, they were compelled to migrate in search of new hunting grounds and water sources.

Section B: Fill in the Blanks

1. The greatest achievement of man during the Palaeolithic Age was the discovery of fire.
2. Palaeo means old and lithic means stone.
3. In India, the remains of Mesolithic man have been found in the regions of Ujjain and Jorwa (as well as Bhimbetka and Adamgarh in Madhya Pradesh).
4. Copper was the first metal discovered by man.
5. Neolithic man believed in life after death.

Section C: Chronological Ordering of Sentences

Number the following sentences in the chronological order in which they occurred in the life of early man:

Section D: Answer the Following Questions in Brief

Question 1: Mention the sources that enable us to understand the history of early man.
Answer:
Because early humans could neither read nor write, our knowledge of prehistoric human life is based entirely on archaeological excavations of material remains:

• Fossil Remains: Skeletal bones and skulls of ancient human ancestors and prehistoric animals.
• Stone Implements: Core tools, flake tools, hand axes, microliths, and polished celts.
• Cave Rock Art: Prehistoric rock shelter paintings depicting hunting, dancing, and rituals (e.g., Bhimbetka caves in Madhya Pradesh).
• Habitation Debris: Ash layers, burned animal bones from ancient hearths, and burial pits.

Question 2: List the three phases of the Stone Age.
Answer:
The prehistoric Stone Age is divided into three successive cultural periods based on the degree of sophistication of stone tools:

1. Palaeolithic Age (Old Stone Age): Spanning from the earliest human origins up to approximately 10,000 BCE; characterized by crude, unpolished stone tools and nomadic food hunting.
2. Mesolithic Age (Middle Stone Age): Roughly 10,000 BCE to 8,000 BCE; characterized by tiny, delicate stone tools called microliths and the start of animal domestication.
3. Neolithic Age (New Stone Age): From about 8,000 BCE to 4,000 BCE; marked by polished stone tools, agriculture, permanent settlements, pottery, and the invention of the wheel.

Question 3: How did early man obtain his food?
Answer:
Early humans in the Old Stone Age obtained food as nomadic hunters and gatherers:

• Hunting Wild Animals: Men formed small hunting bands to trap wild beasts, mammoths, deer, and fish using stone hand axes, spears, and wooden sticks.
• Gathering Edible Plants: Women and children gathered wild berries, edible roots, tubers, leaves, nuts, and bird eggs from surrounding forests.
• They ate their food raw until the accidental discovery of fire taught them to roast meat.

Question 4: State any two uses of fire in the Old Stone Age.
Answer:
The discovery of fire (made by striking two pieces of flint stone together) transformed human existence:

1. Warmth and Protection: Fire provided essential warmth inside cold caves during bitter ice-age winters and kept dangerous carnivorous beasts at bay, as wild animals fear fire.
2. Roasting Food: Accidental roasting of raw meat showed early humans that cooked meat was far softer, tastier, and easier to chew and digest than raw flesh.

Question 5: What is meant by the Chalcolithic period?
Answer:
The Chalcolithic Period (derived from Greek words chalkos meaning copper and lithos meaning stone) was the transitional cultural era when human beings began utilizing copper implements alongside traditional stone tools.
It marked the end of the Stone Age and the dawn of metallurgy, enabling humans to clear thicker jungle forests and expand farming output.

Section E: Answer the Following Questions in Detail

Question 1: Describe any four major changes that took place in human life during the Mesolithic age.
Answer:
The Mesolithic Age (Middle Stone Age) was a critical bridge between hunting-gathering and food production.

Four Major Changes:

1. Development of Microliths: Tools became significantly smaller, sharper, and more refined. Humans fashioned tiny stone blades called microliths and affixed them to wooden or bone handles to make efficient arrows, spears, and knives.
2. Domestication of Animals: Rather than killing all animals on sight, humans began taming and rearing docile species such as dogs, sheep, goats, and cattle, securing meat, milk, and skins.
3. Semi-Permanent Shelters: People began constructing circular or oval huts using tree branches, reeds, and animal hides, establishing semi-settled encampments along riverbanks and lake shores.
4. Beginning of Plant Cultivation: Observing wild grasses and grains germinating in damp soil encouraged early humans to collect wild seeds and begin rudimentary crop cultivation.

Question 2: What were the beliefs of Neolithic man about life?
Answer:
Neolithic humans developed spiritual and religious concepts:

1. Belief in Life After Death (Afterlife): Neolithic people firmly believed that the human soul survived physical death and traveled to an unseen spirit world.
2. Burial Customs with Grave Goods: Deceased individuals were buried in pits, urns, or stone cists along with their personal possessions, including pottery jars filled with food grains, stone tools, weapons, and jewelry (beads and pendants) to sustain them in their journey beyond.
3. Reverence for Nature and Ancestors: Dependent upon rains and sunshine for agricultural harvests, they personified and worshipped natural elements like the Sun, Rain, Earth (as Mother Goddess), Fire, and ancestral spirits.

Question 3: How did the invention of the wheel help in the development of human civilisation?
Answer:
The invention of the wheel during the Neolithic Age was one of the greatest technological breakthroughs in human history.

Impact on Civilisational Progress:

1. Revolution in Land Transportation: Affixing circular wooden discs to sledges created wheeled carts and chariots. Heavy loads, harvested grain sacks, and family members could be transported over long distances with ease using draft animals.
2. The Potter’s Wheel: Adapting the wheel horizontally created the potter’s wheel. Artisans could rapidly shape smooth, symmetrical earthenware pots of various sizes to cook food and store surplus agricultural grains, milk, and water.
3. Textile Production: The principle of the spinning wheel was utilized to spin cotton and wool into thread, allowing humans to replace animal skins with woven clothes.
4. Foundation for Future Machinery: The rotary motion of the wheel provided the core mechanical principle for later pulleys, waterwheels, and industrial machines.

Question 4: Differentiate between the Palaeolithic Age and the Neolithic Age.
Answer:
The shift from the Old Stone Age to the New Stone Age represented a complete revolution in human life (often termed the Neolithic Revolution).

Question 5: Write a short note on the cave rock art of early man with special reference to Bhimbetka.
Answer:
Prehistoric rock art provides an intimate visual record of early human imagination, daily rituals, and hunting practices.

Key Highlights of Bhimbetka Rock Shelters:

1. Location & UNESCO Status: Situated in the foothills of the Vindhyan mountains in Raisen district, Madhya Pradesh, Bhimbetka comprises over 750 rock shelters, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
2. Themes Depicted: The cave paintings illustrate vibrant scenes of everyday prehistoric existence: communal wild game hunts, horseback riders, warriors with bows and arrows, women grinding food, community dances, and animals (bison, tigers, rhinoceroses, elephants, deer).
3. Natural Mineral Pigments: Early artists mixed pulverized mineral rocks with water and animal fat or tree resin. They used bright white (limestone) and red ochre (geru), ensuring these paintings remain vibrant after tens of thousands of years.

Value-Based Questions (VBQ)

Question: The life of early man was a relentless struggle against wild beasts, harsh climatic extremes, and hunger. Yet through mutual cooperation, innovation, and perseverance, human beings triumphed. What life values can modern students learn from the survival journey of early man?
Answer:
The resilience of early humans imparts enduring ethical principles:

1. Power of Teamwork and Cooperation: Solitary hunters could never overpower massive beasts like mammoths; they succeeded by organizing collaborative hunting groups. Similarly, students achieve lasting success through collective teamwork and mutual support.
2. Innovation through Necessity: Early humans did not surrender to cold or hunger; they invented stone tools, harnessed fire, and created the wheel. Hardships should stimulate creativity and problem-solving rather than despair.
3. Living in Harmony with Nature: Early humans took from nature only what was necessary for immediate survival without accumulating wasteful luxuries or polluting ecosystems.

Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS)

Question 1: Why did early humans invariably choose river valleys and lake margins to establish their first permanent settlements during the Neolithic period?
Answer:
River valleys provided four essential life-supporting advantages:

• Abundant Water: Continuous freshwater supply for human drinking, cooking, washing, and watering domesticated cattle.
• Fertile Alluvial Soil: Seasonal river floods deposited mineral-rich silt along riverbanks, enabling crop cultivation with primitive wooden digging sticks.
• Supplementary Food Source: Rivers provided a dependable supply of fish, waterfowl, and edible aquatic plants.
• Water Transport: Calm waterways allowed effortless transport of timber, clay, and crops using simple dugout tree canoes.

Question 2: How did the discovery of agriculture fundamentally alter early human society from a nomad to a settled community dweller?
Answer:
Crops take months between seed sowing, watering, weeding, and final grain harvesting. Early farmers were compelled to remain stationary beside their crop fields. This requirement gave birth to permanent mud houses, village communities, surplus grain storage, division of specialized labor (farmers, potters, weavers), and organized social rules.

Authentic DAV Board Examination Previous Years’ Questions (2018-2024)

Q1 [DAV Mid-Term Exam 2023, 2 Marks]: What are Microliths? In which prehistoric period were they used?
Official Answer & Marking Scheme:
1. Definition [1 Mark]: Tiny, delicate, sharp stone tools measuring from 1 cm to 5 cm in length, often affixed to wooden or bone handles, are called Microliths.
2. Period [1 Mark]: They were characteristic implements of the Mesolithic Age (Middle Stone Age).

Q2 [DAV Annual Exam 2022, 3 Marks]: State three important uses of the potter’s wheel in the Neolithic period.
Official Answer & Marking Scheme:
1. Shaping Symmetrical Pots [1 Mark]: Allowed artisans to craft smooth, round earthenware vessels rapidly.
2. Food Storage & Cooking [1 Mark]: Enabled safe storage of surplus agricultural grains, water, and milk, and allowed cooking of grains over fire.
3. Artistic Decoration [1 Mark]: Encouraged creative painting of geometric designs and animal motifs on pottery surfaces.

Q3 [DAV Annual Exam 2021, 2 Marks]: Why did Neolithic people bury tools and ornaments inside graves?
Official Answer & Marking Scheme:
1. Belief in Afterlife [1 Mark]: They believed in life after death.
2. Soul Sustenance [1 Mark]: They believed the deceased person’s spirit would need these tools, food, and ornaments in the next world.

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